The Fox C-6 School Board has called a meeting for 7PM tonight August 12, 2014 to vote on approving a request for a State Audit of the Fox C-6 School District.
The community currently has a lot of concerns regarding how taxpayer dollars have been spent by our school district administrators and directors using school district supplied credit cards. The recent release of credit card statements to the public shows that school district credit cards were not used according to school board policies.
This morning I sent the following email to the Fox C-6 School Board regarding tonight's meeting about requesting an ASAP State Audit of the Fox C-6 School District.
Email Sent to the Fox C-6 School Board
on August 12, 2014
Regarding a State Audit Request
of the Fox C-6 School District
I hope as members of the Fox C-6 School Board that you will unanimously vote YES tonight to request that an ASAP State Audit be conducted of the Fox C-6 School District.
As you know, I have been very concerned about Bill Payment Reports and the lack of information provided in those reports for a very long time. Starting in August 2013, the Bill Payments report no longer included a reason code or a description of what the payment was for, which is in violation of school district Policy #3150 - Payment Procedures.
I have also been expressing my concerns since at least February 2014 about the Credit Card Payments and the fact that school board packets provided to the school board and the public did not include the Credit Card Statements for the BOE to review each month. I have been asking for the credit card statements since at least February 2014 and it took until August 2014 to obtain them.
After reviewing the Fox C-6 credit card statements provided to me last week for the 2013-2014 school year, it is very apparent that school district credit cards were not being used according to school board policy by school district administrators and directors. Their usage of school district credit cards violated school district Policy #3125 - Credit Cards.
It is very clear from the comments posted by Fox C-6 taxpayers and parents on Facebook and in conversations with others in our district that Superintendent Critchlow and several administrators not only violated school board policy but they violated the trust of the community. This reflects very poorly on the oversight of both the school board and of our Central Office Administrators.
I am requesting that the Fox C-6 BOE request that a State Audit conducts an in depth review of the district dating back to at least the 2009-2010 school years to present.
A State Audit needs to include at minimum a review of financial transactions and teacher certifications of individuals hired and promoted within the school district since 2009.
It is imperative that both the Fox C-6 BOE and the community are kept fully informed as to whether or not the Fox C-6 School District has been following all state and federal laws as well as the guidelines and regulations of Missouri DESE and the federal agencies that oversee our district.
It's important to the community and Fox C-6 taxpayers to know that our student's are being provided the best possible education with the funds that we have and that district funds are being spent responsibly. Ensuring that the district funds are being spent responsibly rests on the shoulders of the school board. It is very evident that this has not been happening in our school district for at least the last 9 years.
In order for you to do your job, you must be kept fully aware of how monies are being spent by closely reviewing Bill Payments Reports and Credit Card Statements. Superintendent Critchlow did not provide you with proper Bill Payments Reports and did NOT provide Credit Card Statements to the school board which violated school board policies. She even refused to correct the problem. This in itself should have been grounds for her dismissal.
The Fox C-6 community is now very aware of what has been occurring in our school district for the last 6+ years regarding federal compliance as well as bill payments and superintendent salaries. The community is now watching very closely. It's important that you do the right thing and request a very thorough State Audit of the Fox C-6 School District.
Please include this letter to the school board in the next Fox C-6 school board meeting packet as a letter to the school board so the community can stay informed. Transparency is key to rebuilding the trust of the community.
Thank you,
Rich Simpson